Learning Curve
by amaresu
Summary: Jenny was learning that there was more to overthrowing an oppressive world government than running. This was something that her dad and Donna had failed to mention to her, but she was a quick learner." Thanks to dramaturgca for the beta.


Jenny was learning that there was more to overthrowing an oppressive world government than running. This was something that her dad and Donna had failed to mention to her, but she was a quick learner. Still there was a lot of running. Especially if you'd just been caught stealing highly classified documents from a medical research lad that didn't officially exist. Highly classified documents that would cause the government that they were attempting to overthrow to face a number of awkward questions if things went as planned. But that was something that hadn't happened all night.

She looked around the corner to check the progress of the guards sweeping the hallway. She was going to have to time things just right. She reached back to make sure her bag was secure before backing up a few feet to get some momentum and charging around the corner. With a grin she expertly disarmed the guards while knocking them down. She was pleased to note that she hadn't lost much speed during the process. She hit the door at the end of the hallway with a crash that she was certain could be heard throughout the building. Without pausing she ran into the stairwell and swung herself over the first railing and down to the next level.

She managed to make it down the six floors and out the door before anyone else got to the stairway. Now was the time to slow down and get her bearing. She crouched next to the building, shielded by some bushes, while she looked around. This hadn't been the way she'd planned to exit the building and as a result she was a bit turned around. After a few seconds she determined that she was at the back of the building facing the forest. Not good, she didn't really want to go through the forest, but needs must when the devil drives.

The first problem was the fence. It was ten feet tall and topped with barbed wire. Beyond the fence was the forest and that would be a whole new set of problems, but first the fence. She didn't have any cutters and she really didn't have time to find a gate, if there even was one, which she doubted, as the fence was to keep anyone who survived the forest from getting into the building. She'd cut a hole in it to get into the compound, but that gap was too far away to get to. There was really only one choice. She carefully laid her bag down on the ground beside her and took off her jacket. It was the work of seconds to rip it apart and create bindings for her hands and forearms. There wasn't enough material to cover all of her exposed skin, but it would have to do. She picked up the bag again and re-secured it. Losing that now would make everything worthless.

She stared at the fence in trepidation for a second before movement in the corner of her eye spurned her on. Before the guard coming out of the stairwell could spot her she made a run at the fence. Climbing over it was just as painful as she imagined it would be, but she got away with fewer cuts then she feared. She crouched on the grass for a second before making a dash for the cover of the forest, just as the guard fired his weapon.

Carefully she plunged into the shadows of the forest. She would have to move more slowly now, not just because of branches and roots, but to make sure she didn't run into any of the traps. Reports said that the forest was filled with all sorts of traps to keep people from sneaking into the facility through it. The government couldn't get rid of the forest, being as they'd built their secret lab in the middle of an environmental preserve, but they'd done their best to make it an asset. She remained calm and carefully moved towards the service road and her escape. It was then that she felt her first brush of real fear as the sound of barking dogs reached her.

She paused with her back against a tree and thought. The guards would know where the traps were and the dogs would follow her scent. Her only advantage was that they'd have to go around the fence or wait for a hole to be cut in the fence where she'd gone over. Unless they had patrols on this side of the fence. Considering how paranoid the security had been up until this point she had to assume the dogs she heard were on this side of the fence. The guards would have the advantage. They would have lights. They would know where the traps were. The dogs would be able to follow her sent. Her only chance was to risk it and run, trusting to her instincts and superior reflexes to keep her from being killed.

The trip through the forest would come back to haunt her nightmares later she was certain. The dogs kept getting closer no matter how fast she ran. The branches scratched and pulled at her, slowing her down, and the roots seemed to reach up from the dirt to trip her. It was only her quick reflexes that kept her from being caught in a number of traps ranging from simple holes in the ground to an elaborate device that she was sure would have removed her leg if she hadn't managed to roll to the side quick enough. By the time she reached the service road she was bleeding form a dozen different cuts and limping more then running. There was a stretch of open grass between the forest and the road and she crouched at the tree line. She could see guards with a dog team about ten meters away. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw they were walking away from her. The sounds of the pursuing dogs was getting louder though. She didn't have much time.

She ran across the open expanse and dropped down onto the road. She bit her lip to keep from crying out as her leg collapsed under her weight and quickly rolled to the side of the road and pressed herself against the embankment. She could hear the muffled sounds of the guards radios as they walked away from her and grinned. After she was certain they were gone she got up and limped down the road to the area where she'd left her bike.

With a cry of relief she saw the broken branch and misplaced rock that marked where she'd first arrived. She quickly deactivated the camo-shield and climbed onto the bike. It was highly illegal for a non-citizen to even touch one of these, let alone drive it, but the resistance had a number of bikes to be used on special missions such as these. She started off down the road knowing that she had to reach the bridge before they did if she wanted to escape. She refused to come this far and not make it. With any luck they were still looking for her in the forest. It wouldn't last long though, the dogs hadn't been that far behind her. It was a harrowing journey down the roads through the government environmental preserve that housed some of the most horrific research that the government was performing. It seemed strange to her that something so beautiful could hold such a deadly secret inside.

She nearly cried with relief when she saw that the bridge over the ravine separating the reserve from the city was unguarded. She'd made it in time. Once she was over the bridge she'd be back in the city and she would be able to get lost among the thousands of twisting side streets and back alleys. She'd get back to the resistance and pass off the information. By morning there would be hundreds of copies making their way through the city and hundreds more smuggled out to the other major cities. The government would deny what the papers would said. Most people would believe them. It was easier to believe the government than to question it, but enough people would believe what the papers said. They would ask the right questions and eventually the government would have nowhere left to hide. She gave a small cheer of victory as she crossed the bridge already thinking about food, sleep and medical treatment. There would be other missions in the days to come, once she was fully healed, and she would take them. Overthrowing oppressive world governments wasn't as easy as her dad had made it seem, but it was still worth it.


End file.
